Kiss From A Rose
by Temperance Cross
Summary: - part 2 of 3 - He owes her a dance, she knows as she stepped into the crowd, scanning it for the other. - karina / tiger -


He owes her a dance, she knows as she stepped into the crowd, scanning it for the other. She can see the shock on Nathan's face from the corner of her eyes as she stomps towards the man wearing the black and white mask and in a darkly coloured suit. Tiger's surprised, but she can't blame him, he wouldn't understand how she worked even if she told him – she doesn't even understand herself half the time. "I wasn't going to come," she mutters as she stops before him, blue eyes glaring into his and she wants to smack him because he's grinning down at her with a knowing look.

"Yeah, I know," he brims with amusement, amber eyes watching her for a sign that she's ready for that dance. She wished he would take the lead, but it seemed that he wasn't completely ready to dance even though she was. As always he's more into running his mouth than getting down to business. "Your parents picking you up after this?"

She hates him for bringing up her parents after leaving her breathless a hour and a half ago, but she glares and shakes her head. She would be going home on her own terms, but his hand is suddenly on her head and he gives a soft chuckle. She's suddenly aware her cheeks are flushing lightly and more concerned with the eyes of the other heroes boring into her back. Self conscious of how they regarded her, she smacks his hand away and glares, trying to make herself seem less like a school girl that just got asked to the prom and more like the confident hero and aspiring idol she was.

"I'll drive you," his voice is gentle, like she was to be treated carefully, like the delicate flower her alter-ego was named after. She's unsure if she's mad at him for acting like her father and not like he just kissed her and once again, he's managed to settle a fight before she even was able to start. Her fingers twitch and she glares at him and she wants to shoot back that it wasn't up to him to decide, but right then he grabs her hand and takes her to dance.

He's confident in his skills as a dancer, she notes, as she's pulled closer to him and he puts her arms around his neck. He's surprisingly graceful, he knows how to lead and it causes her mind is to blank and makes her step on his feet a few times. His eyes are intense, focused on hers and she's unsure if they're seeing into her soul or right through her. She stumbles, he catches her and ignores how the other heroes' eyes stared through her (she can completely imagine their eyebrows raising at how clumsy she is being). He laughs loudly, quickly moving her hands away from his neck and twirls her. She flushes and pulls back and wants to punch the smug look out of his eyes, but she can only let out a shriek when he pulls her back into his dance and dips her.

She clocks him then, her cheeks flaming red and she stomps away, leaving him cradling his nose and watching after her. That's the third time she's hit him in two nights, she thinks she needs to start a tally.

She busies herself with fluttering around and talking to other big name company's, they seem ecstatic to even have her come near them. More than one wants to sleep with her and she denies them, not for Tiger's sake – no never that, for her own.

Yet it never stops one CEO from trying to get fresh.

She's surprised when one pops a diamond ring and asks her to spend the night with him, she's even more surprised when Tiger is suddenly stepping between the two. He looks at the man and shakes his head at him, giving a calm, "Do you know how young she is? Kinda too young for you, eh?"

It makes her turn red and she kicks him in the shin (i_fourth_/i, she notes). "I'm not in need of your help, idiot," she snaps and Tiger just keeps his head and forces the man back and when the CEO leaves them alone, Tiger rubs the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.

"Can we talk?" He asks quietly and Nathan is swooping in to save his friend from being given a new definition of blue-balls.

She is irritated.

He doesn't understand what he did, obviously, she knows and that infuriates her.

She excuses herself from the party and goes to get the sweater she wore there and makes to leave. She's back in civilian clothes and leaving through a back door and she barely gets outside before she knows she's being followed.

"Hey, little missy, where do you think you're going?" Tiger prompts; coming up behind her and sets his hand on her shoulder. "Told you I'd drive you home."

"Go away, idiot," she growls at him, putting space between them, heading in the direction of her home.

He follows her there on foot and she knows ignoring him is wrong, but he's pissed her off. She barely gets up the stairs before she's being turned around and kissed hard. Automatically, her arms are around his neck and she's kissing him back, he only tilts his head away to say a quiet, "Night Karina," before he's pulling away and leaving her standing there with weak knees.

"Go die in a ditch, Kotetsu!" She yells after him and heads inside, only catching the faintest laugh in response.


End file.
